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Tue-Sat. 11:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.
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If you like soul food- look no further.
A bit out of the way, dont deliver, take out only- why?
because its simply that good
Breast or Thigh friend chicken plates come with 2 side dishes and are my favorite
Great family run business- absolutely wonderful
When the pregnant wife wants fried chicken... YOU GET THE PREGNANT WIFE FRIED CHICKEN!
The options for friend chicken are not great in Boston. BUT... This place is a great find. We had 2 fried chicken plates. The Mac & Cheese is very good, the corn is eh, and the collard greens are good.
You HAVE to get the plantains, well cooked, not too dry, not too wet, not too firm, not too soft. as Goldilocks says, just right.
I will be heading back again, and the staff was super nice and friendly which means a lot to me too.
NOTE: There are 3 seats at a counter available... that is it. and no A/C.
I'd been hearing about this place for a while, so my friends and I made plans to- at long last!- give it a shot.
I got the fried chicken, and a chicken pocket-type thing. The pocket was fantastic; I could've had a few of those for my dinner. The fried chicken was damn tasty, though I won't go so far as to call it the best I've ever had. The spices were really excellent, and did bring to me a flavor I was unaccustomed to in my fried chicken. Not unwelcome, mind you. And I got a fair amount of chicken for what I paid. Definitely a good value!
The place itself was small, meant more for take out than sitting down and eating, though sit down and eat we did. The staff was all very friendly and helpful in answering our newbie questions.
All in all, I'd definitely go back, though for take out next time.
Pretty much the best fried chicken I've ever had. Its a hole in the wall, take out only (despite the nice, upscale looking website). I suggest calling in your orders because it does take a good 20min.
Mac n cheese and collard greens were awesome too.
the worse part is the drive home, drooling the entire way as the delicious smell fills your car.
Everything I've had is delicious, except for the fried chicken. The meatloaf is my favorite. It's moist, has a perfect texture, and the gravy is awfully good. Most of the sides (mac n cheese, jag, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, etc.) are also really well done (but forget the fries; they're mediocre). But, I HATE the chicken. It always tastes "off" and a little burnt. I've tried it three times and it's always the same. I prefer the fried chicken at the Hen House. Coast Cafe is great take-out, but be prepared to wait even if you call ahead and arrive at the time they say it will be ready.
For some reason, I am craving for fried chicken on this hot summer day. After eyeing this place on yelp for some period, I decided to walk the 5 mins to pick up this supposed really good fried chicken. First of all, this place is TINY! It is meant for take out and take out only. The staffs were very nice.
After waiting around for a couple minutes, I happily walked out of the cafe with a box of fried chicken in my hands. The smell was intoxicating and I couldn't wait rip open the box and dig into the greasiness. Imagine my surprise when I opened the box. My chicken was slightly burnt. The inside of the chicken was juicy but the skin is the most important part! It's where the flavors are and the burnt skin just made the whole meal unappetizing. I'm glad that I gave the place a try, but I don't think I'll come back again.
If you are looking for good southern soul food, go to Coast Cafe. The fried chicken is good, the grilled cat fish is even better and the sweet potatoes, red beans and rice and the collard greens are superb. The place is really small so I reccommend taking out since there are only 2 sets and definitely call your order in ahead of time! The only problem with this place is the parking. Otherwise, you will not be disappointed. Its a real find! I also love the cakes and the owner is very warm and friendly.
Decided to try Coast Cafe this weekend. First, be prepared to wait. We put in our order and given a 10 minute estimate which ended up much closer to 20. The food was decent. I could have had a big order of the cabbage and collard greens and been very happy. Unfortunately the BBQ chicken that accompanied these great sides was dry, over cooked and under seasoned. My boyfriend had fried chicken with mac and cheese. The chicken looked really over cooked (the batter was quite burned in paces) but the chicken itself was really moist. Too bad he was in it for the breading. Mac was average at best. Corn muffins (not bread) were really dry and not served with any butter.
Liked the place in concept and might try it again, but there are a few other places ahead of it for my next chicken craving.
Wow- I can't even tell you how much this place makes my mouth water. I have a bag of leftovers next to me at work that needs to put away before I start eating fried chicken and mac for breakfast.
The chicken is like nothing I've had before- its fried, but not really greasy or gross to touch- the chicken within the crunchy crust is moist, tender, and packed with flavor.... wow I seriously need to put the leftovers away before this gets out of hand....
Okay, situation avoided.
I've had the chicken, chicken soup, and the mac n cheese- all delicious. The mac n cheese has a little bit of a breaded topping, and needs no additional seasoning (sometimes mac n cheese can be a little bland... but not here). The soup was also great, and my boyfriend swears by the chicken sandwich.
A few tips-
Its a take out place, so don't plan a romantic evening out here.
Order earlier rather than later... it was maybe 45 minutes to close the two times I've gotten take out, and they were running low on the Mac.
If you are like me and don't need a super huge meal- I suggest ordering the single chicken breast with a small side (the chicken plate has two pieces of chicken, two sides, and corn bread. The single breast and single side is a little cheaper, and about the right amount of food without going overboard).
this is insanity. I can't believe this place has been a few blocks away from my apartment and I'm just going now! The fried chicken alone blew my mind...let alone the mac n cheese, cornbread, and coconut wonder bar, all prepared to perfection and deliciously, fat-happy good.
Coast Cafe is the type of place you have to mentally prepare yourself for. Its soulful soul food, and they don't F around. Its take out only, really...there are 2 seats that you might be lucky to snag, but honestly...you want to go somewhere private to enjoy this food. Its messy, ridiculous, and amazing. The portions are generous, the staff super friendly, and frankly, I can't wait to dig in to round 2 of Molly vs. Fried chicken later tonight. Seriously people...go here and eat your face off. you will thank you me, I promise!
I love this place, I really do..which is why although I had two bad take outs in a row...I went in for the third...fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me..fool me thrice...uurrgghhh!...Hat-trick!!!! The size of the chicken was reduced to half and their lovely mac&cheese was watered down....all three times!!...maybe their getting healthier??? But hey, if I'm making the choice to trek from Arlington at night after work for some great-bad food...I just want my fix at that point! Not getting that anymore...nuh-ahh! I never thought I would give a not-so-nice review of this place ever, but hey, third times the charm!
The #1 fried chicken in NE. The fried chicken, mac & cheese and sweet potatoes are awesome. The… Read more »
Crisp fried chicken, tender collard greens, a generous slice of sweet potato pie in a to-go box, ready for a summer's evening by the river. That is what I call life.
The people at Coast Cafe are amazingly nice. The only lackluster element is the corn--other sides are very tasty. I feel like I'm back in the South at Coast. Hallelujah!
Finally made it here for dinner last weekend, and I am glad I did! This little food-stand-in-a-building serves up some of the best fried chicken and ribs to be found in Cambridge (BEEF RIBS alert! Not many places still serve these!). The chicken is tender and savory with a thin, thin crispy coating of batter, finely seasoned with a lot of herbs and spices. They keep it simple with a bare bones menu, and while nothing there is really under $10, you always get plenty of food and the quality is obvious.
Every item on the dessert menu makes my mouth water, but we settled on the sweet potato pie; $3 for a slice or you can special order a whole pie for $18 (two days notice required). It was SERIOUSLY good, with no sour or bitter aftertaste that you sometimes get with inferior ingredients. Major kudos for being one of the only places in Boston to get it right!
The food does take some time to prepare (15-20 minutes), so call ahead! Eric and the rest of the workers here are so nice and courteous, it makes me want to go back again and again (and the food helps a little bit too). They've only been open 5 years, and they've got a pile of awards and recognition, that's all you need to know.
BIG DISCLAIMER: This is not a sit down restaurant; they have three stools and if you sit on the outer-most one, the door might hit you if you're not careful. I read Yelp and their website and I still didn't get this fact. But now you do.
I've lived in the South for most of my life, and well, fried chicken really is a staple of the Southern diet. So, when I discovered Coast Cafe, I was really happy to feel like a piece of home.
Ambiance: This place is definitely a hole-in-the-wall. There is a counter for maybe about 4 people, so expect to take your food home.
Food: Definitely the best Southern fried chicken in Boston. I always hate eating fried chicken and feel the greasy dripping from my hand to elbow. But this fried chicken wasn't greasy at all. So you can at least pretend that this isn't as artery-clogging as it probably really is. But hey, you've got one life time, but live it up sometimes right?
Service: The people in there are really friendly. I definitely felt some of that Southern hospitality.
I love Boston and things that are delicious. Unfortunately, these two are mutually exclusive. Like why is it that San Francisco is delicious but full of people that act like retards while Boston has nothing in the way of culinary delights? I guess the universe is trying to keep me on a diet or something.
Coast Cafe was a huge let down after the glowing yelp reviews. I'm a sides person myself and I've made better mac and cheese at home and had better collard greens from a can. Ya heard me. The chicken is pretty good- but really, it's not much better than Popeyes. Plus Popeyes has that spicy chicken which is mmmm. Meh is the perfect word to describe this place and sorry I'm not paying 10 bucks for just meh.
My boyfriend has loved this place for a few years. I decided to check it out and spoil him by taking him here for a surprise dinner.
It was much better than I thought. I'm very picky about some food and I feel like the only people that can make it correctly are in my family.
However - their mac and cheese was great. Seasoned well and with a mix of cheeses. Awesome. And although I have not willingly ordered fried chicken in about 10 years, I had some of the bf's and I LOVED it. It wasn't crunchy like those KFC commercials with chicken pieces flying in all directions. It was tender, moist, seasoned well, just perfect. I actually want their friend chicken and I'm trying to figure out when we can go back again.
We decided on a small order of fried chicken wings and a small order of collard greens at Coast Cafe. The collard greens were very good and similar to the ones my mother makes. However, we all thought the chicken was disgusting. It was crispy and fresh and hot but the flavor was just....hmmm....gross...that was the best I could come up with. It did not look burned but it tasted scorched and it had a horrendous aftertaste. Nope...won't be ordering those again. My chicken at home is MUCH better than this
Coast Cafe has a reputation for having the best fried chicken in Boston, as given by Best of Boston and Phantom Gourmet. While not the best fried chicken I've ever had, I would certainly agree its the best you can get this far north.
Liked:
The fried chicken was seasoned perfectly, tender, and amazing
The sweet potatoes were deliciously sweet
Counter service was friendly
Disliked:
$10.50 for 2 pieces of chicken + 2 sides perhaps a little steep
Lack of options for getting more than 2 pieces of fried chicken
Don't be fooled by Coast Cafe's shack-like exterior. Neither is the place of low quality, nor is it as cheap as most take-out only restaurants. It's also not particularly fast, as right on the menu it states that the fried chicken is cooked fresh to order and takes between 10-15 minutes.
But good things take time, and the fried chicken is definitely worth both the time and the price. It's cooked perfectly, with great salty, peppery seasoning on the outside, and tender, succulent meat on the inside. The sweet potatoes might be too sweet, but I like it that way. The mac n' cheese and cornbread were also good, though somewhat unremarkable for a Soul Food outlet. I'd probably try the collard greens next time.
When the biggest complaint you have for a restaurant is that you wish you had gotten more of its best dish, you know you're onto something good. The bottom line is that if you need a fried chicken or soul food fix, this is your place in Boston.
This place is a hidden gem. Good, home-cooked soul food, and an establishment with an honest mom-and-pop feel. The fried chicken is top-notch: good quality chicken, fried crisp, but not too greasy (well, at least in the spectrum of fried chicken). The patties are also great - fried pastries, stuffed chock full of nicely spiced ground beef or diced chicken (and cheese, if you so desire). The sides are a bit of a mixed bag. The mashed potatoes and black-eyed peas didn't do too much for me, but the spiced fries, collard greens and (especially) the candied yams are great. The homemade desserts are another high point (and they're prominently displayed - good luck resisting them) - try the coconut wonder bars.
There are only three seats(!) in the restaurant, so carry-out is probably your best bet. Call ahead - the wait can be up to 45 minutes when they're busy. The prices aren't dirt cheap, but it's fairly inexpensive and quite worth it.
In sum, it's easy to miss, but you'll be glad you didn't. Just don't go if you have any pretensions about eating healthy.
Juicy Delicious Fried Chicken!!! I hate to repeat everyone, but the fried chicken is great. Crispy, without being too greasy, and perfectly delicious. Not over breaded or anything either. Definitely some of the best fried chicken I've ever had.
I also had their mac and cheese and mashed potatoes. The mashed potatoes were standard, but the mac and cheese was kinda fancy. The meal was $10, so a little on the high side, but definitely worth it for some good soul food.
Be warned that this place is almost exclusively take out, and that there's only 3 seats in the entire place. Luckily we went at an odd hour. Oh, and you have to wait about 15 mins for most of the dishes, so in more ways than one, this ain't no KFC!
Whoa Nellie. This is hands down some of the best fried chicken I've ever had. The mac & cheese was amazing too, as were the fried plantains. The mashed potatoes & gravy I would skip, and get something else next time.
The staff was super duper friendly even though the place was extremely busy and they were having trouble keeping up. We called ahead and they said 20 minutes, but it was actually over 30. On a Saturday night we probably went at the busiest time, though, so next time I would just call earlier.
This aint your mommas fried chicken. Or is it? Depends on who your mom is...i guess.
This is THE best fried chicken I've had in the Boston area. Their batter has cornmeal in it for that extra crunch. Mac n'cheese, yams, collard greens, and cornbread were all pretty good too. But no doubt, the main event is the chicken. Whats even better is that they take credit cards! So now you can charge your chicken and your impending triple bypass.
My roommate Tom raves about this place so I really really wanted to love it. I tried, I tried so hard eating through the menu searching for that elusive thing that would make me love it. But alas no, I could only resolve to like it. Two Sister's Kitchen could arguably be one of the world best soul food restaurants and unfortunately Doris's home cooking and fried chicken set the bar pretty high.
Don't get me wrong, Coast is one of those places you'd always default to when you're not sure what you want but know you want it hot and good, it's just shy of the mark of great. The meatloaf lacked zang, the fried chicken was a little bit of a hit or miss but the sides, you can't go wrong with the sides, they were delicious.
Only loses a half-star b/c there's not enough seating (just a couple of bar stools and a teeny counter).
Otherwise Coast Cafe is FANTASTIC!
I got the fried chicken - yummy, yummy! It came out so piping hot that it was hard for me to wait and eat it, else I burn my tongue; but it was excellently spiced. (Though it was also fun to try all the different sauces they had on the counter too.)
Collard greens and mac and cheese were good.
My hubby got the fish and chips (maybe the haddock) and he enjoyed it. We both left very satisfied, wished we lived closer, and were thankful that we walked there, so we could burn off such a big meal.
I decided to get a variety of their desserts to go. The banana pudding was a little too sweet for me, but with the crunchy Nilla Wafers and banana pieces with it made it hit the spot. I LOVED the coconut wonder bar - if you're going to add calories to your meal, you might as well add delicious calories! The sweet potato pie was good too. (Don't laugh, I ate all these desserts over a period of two days!)
Did you have a tough day? Month? Year? Would you like some comfort in the form of yummy deliciousness? If you've found yourself agreeably nodding your head to these questions, then go here. It appears I'm preaching to the choir here, but the Coast Cafe is the place to go for Southern cooking in these parts. I must admit to being very picky about fried-chicken and will typically favor pulled pork, but only to the extent that the chicken is too fried and the batter is so thick that it overpowers the actual chicken. That said, the fried chicken really is great at the CC-- the amount of batter is proportioned well, it is seasoned fantastically, and they manage to keep the chicken extraordinarily juicy and falling-off-the-bone. They've obviously honed their craft. Strangely enough, they have no southern style pulled pork, which is too bad because I'd love to see what they would do with it.
The mac and cheese is a can't miss side (though not out-of -the-straosphere good), but the fact that I have to get home before I stuff my gullet might play a role here. Its a time sensitive dish! I think the black eyed peas are another side that they have done extremely proud-- they salt it impeccably and its very flavorful. The collard greens are fine too, though I admit to being partial to the mac and black-eyed pees as my standards. The corn bread is on the sweet side of the corn bread spectrum (yes, there is a spectrum), which I enjoyed. And, of course the banana pudding is a must try. A friend of mine said he loved the pudding overall but it became a little sweet near the end. I suppose I have a bit of a sweet tooth but that said, you can probably get away with splitting one of their pudding servings between two people, especially after demolishing fried chicken, corn bread, and two sides. But far be it from me to be the portion police-- sometimes its hard to put the comfort down, especially when the CC is dishing it out.
The place is very small and pick up only. The staff is really friendly, and they always have your meal done by ~15 min. All-in-all, the overwhelming verdict is to try this place!
Have an urge for fried chicken? Go to Cambridge, Massachusetts. Ok, my Southern friends may think I'm crazy, but if you are in Greater Boston, there just may be no better place than Coast Cafe on River Street in Cambridge. This three seat (I'm not kidding there are just three seats) restaurant is perfect for lunchtime take out or an out of the way weekend culinary hunt or takeout picnic.
Since ambiance is not much of a question, focus on what you plan to order. All of the chicken is made to order; not pre-cooked and re-heated. Also to be had are side dishes such as homemade macaroni and cheese (no velveeta here!!!) and greens. Oh, and the corn bread is a buttery yummy treat that's not too sweet. I didn't have any room for desserts but I have heard rave reviews of the banana pudding, among others, and will certainly save room (or take some home next time).
My boyfriend suggested this place, saying they had some awesome fried chicken and it's the kind of place where "everybody knows your name." The location is a little unfortunate (down the street from River Gods) as it looks like another house on the street. But the food they cook has come the closest to my mom's cooking. And we got to watch a countdown of Senseless Violent Acts while we waited.
Fried chicken breasts - crispy and moist without that grease-down-the-hand drip you get from KFC or Popeye's. Drown that mess in some Frank's Hot and you've got the #1 comfort food. Also try the variety of hot sauces lined up against the wall. The one with the picture of someone's sweet grandma on the front is tasty.
Collard greens - a lot of places around here make collard greens but they don't MAKE collard greens. I grew up on greens and can decipher the good ones. These are the good ones.
Mac N' Cheese - had a lot of what seemed to be breading which threw me off a bit. But after about half a bite, I was over it and loving it. Great homemade taste.
Black-eyed peas and rice - preparation method wasn't my favorite. I generally like my peas over my rice - not all mixed in. A little dry for my taste.
Sweet potatoes - get 'em. You'll love 'em.
The real secret about this spot is that it's the best fillup around if you're broke as a joke. All about the patties.
1 beef and cheese patty + 1 chicken and cheese patty = $4. And these are the best patties around, made with a lot of real meat, filling, and don't make you feel like you've just eaten something gross.
And you are DONE.
Four bucks.
Got it?
And the other food is great too.
So my associates and I like to do a little thing we call a "Fat Weekend." Once a month (give or take), we gather and utterly gorge ourselves on cuisine that no reasonable person who doesn't fancy heart disease or the di-a-beets should consume more than, well, once a month (we hope we've got this frequency right).
Last month, Blue Ribbon. This month, Coast Cafe.
Menu for the latest Fat Weekend installment:
-Fried chicken thighs & wings: generally crunchy and tasty coating, just a wee bit soggy (more the result of transit time). The meat itself is moist, delicious and perfect. I can't vouch for their fried breasts, but really, if you're not ordering dark meat, you're silly.
-Collards: excellent.
-Mac & Cheese: fairly excellent.
-Black-eyed peas: get these. They're creamy and delicious.
-Jag: meh.
-Banana pudding: YES. I was skeptical, as fake banana flavoring is high on my enemies list. This contains none of that, plus some real banana pieces. Also Nilla wafers. It's as good as Yelp tells you.
-Sweet potato pie: I think this was good. My memory starts to get a little fuzzy at this post-grease, post-beer and post-whiskey point in the evening.
The overall excellence of this menu was based on some prior research. Drawing from that former experience, I would not recommend:
-Sweet potatoes: mushy, too sugary.
-BBQ chicken: I'm not a devotee of the wet, KC Masterpiece school of BBQ. They are. SKIP.
-Corn muffins: good lord, no. Too sweet, too dry, too not at all what corn-infused baked goods should be.
Call ahead (orders can take a while), grab your chicken, and chow it on down.
I've had:
-sweet potatoes: I like that it was with brown sugar syrup and not marshmallows and OJ.
-teriyaki chicken: good but not as good as the fried chicken.
-mac & cheese: pretty good, but not as good as the Publick House or Silvertone.
-fried chicken: chompable.
-banana pudding: I can't go back to the fake stuff now. I want this sugary, delightful goodness with Nilla wafers!
-cake: The dean of discipline at my school brought this in for his birthday. It was perfectly moist, perfectly flavored, and perfectly iced--though I adore icing, if it's too buttery or sugary I become disenchanted with cake. This cake inspired me to overhaul my mentor's classroom in a massive spring-cleaning extravaganza.
The sweetest people you'll ever meet and the food is consistent and awesome. My faves; pork ribs, cheeseburger, jumbo box of fried wings, collard greens, black eyed peas, plantains. Good things take time, so call ahead and be patient. Note: it's a take-out place, only a couple stools to sit, and parking on River can be a challenge, but not a huge deal.
I'm going to kind of parrot Jenne K's review, since we went together. This definitely is a review in progress, as I want to go again and try more things. I had the fried chicken sandwich with fries. She's right, the fries were kind of on the mushy, soggy side, but we did wait a while to eat them, so next time we'll have to eat faster. BUT, I had regular fries while another in our group had the seasoned ones. Definitely go for the seasoned ones. The regular fries are just kind of boring. The kind that you cannot eat without ketchup or some kind of condiment because they have no flavor of their own.
I liked my chicken sandwich. Cooked pretty perfectly. And I'm not too hard on new people behind the counter as Jenne is. It did take us a while to order, let alone get our food, but hey, we've all been new to work somewhere.
As far as other food goes, the sweet potato cake was very good, and I'd never had anything like that. I'd like to try some of the sides, and that was my one complaint, but it isn't necessarily on the part of Coast: I picture southern soul food as a big feast of a meal, but we were there for a quick lunch, so we didn't go all out in sides and other things. Next time: dinner.
Best Comfort Food of 2006 and Hidden Gem? That's what the Phantom Gourmet says about Coast Cafe and it's hard to disagree with him. It's not gourmet high-end food but it's true home-made comfort food on the cheap.
This little take-out stop in Cambridgeport came to my rescue when I was feeling unwell and needed something hearty and comforting. I can't believe I'd not been here before as it's so close to my house, but after a morning tucked in bed watching cricket live from Jamaica I had a hankering for some 'Soul Food' of the South/Caribbean kind and had to go.
I had the fried chicken sandwich - taking note that the Fried Chicken was the Phantom Gourmet's 2006 Comfort Food winner. It was good. Damn good. Only to be surpassed by the sweet potato pie... wonderful.
I'll be back for much much more fried chicken as well as fried catfish, rib sandwiches, sweet potatoes, candied yams, banana bread, banana pudding... and a lot more. The menu is very inviting, although probably not for vegetarians.
NB - you need to spend 8 dollars to use a card
-----------------------------------------
EDIT: Been again and again and never gets worse, just better. The Mac & Cheese. THE Mac & Cheese.
This is not cho' gran' mama's soul food. The one whose recipes have been passed down to Aunt Ann and Uncle Bubba and contain a love that can lull you back to a Juneteenth cookout and comfort by the third spoonful. No. No. Unh-uh. This is some northern bull hockey served to you yankees who ain't know no better. Just when I hoped Bob the Chef could be forced to serve flavorful soul food with jazz.....{sigh}...the fat lady scratched her high note and the quest to find great soul food without the family drama is not over.
All right ch'all here 'tis: The fish cakes were too greasy. The corn bread was too sweet. The cabbage too bland and oily. The candied yams, too candied. Is that possible? The jag, not my Cape Verdian grandmother's seasoned with the traditional spices and kidney beans. The chicken was well seasoned and tasty but over-done. The sweet potato pie filling was good but the crust....oh well e'rybody can't be Aunt Ann and Uncle Bubba. I give them 3 stars for tryin' hard and massagin' a soul food itchin' rather 'an scrathin' it.
*** 12/11/07 Correction: I must confess that I always wanted to use the term "bull hockey", and Yelp is a great forum for providing that opportunity, but I got a little carried away. In an effort to maintain my credibility and avoid a potential lawsuit, I want to be clear and tell you, bull hockey is not served at the Coast Cafe. The soul food here is authenic and served by pleasant people. However, I maintain all other creative, but truthful comments and stand by the 3 star rating.
****2/10/08 The Fat Lady has sung at Poppa B's
Down past River Gods and before that local park...
This tiny hole in the wall has a lot more SOUL than most joints in Cambridge. Best for call in pickup, behind the counter service. It gets pretty packed during lunch hours so it takes awhile but the friendly couple with a few helping hands are always on top of things.
There are a few seats on the side with tons of condiments and reads. There's also a spot on the counter that has beef and chicken&cheese patties.
Menu has everything from fried chicken, hamburgers, salads, hotdogs to the best banana pudding.
I usually keep it simple with a $5.95 three side plate. Which includes the Mac'n'cheese (fluffy and not overpowered by cheese), Collard greens with smoked turkey (delicious and never overcooked) and JAG (a flavorful cape verdean version of rice and beans).
It's a basic good home cooked kind of meal for all ranges of customers.
Fried Chicken; delicious. Yet what makes this place stand out from the many other quick take out places is the convenience and accessibility of patties. I was genuinely surprised not to see more reviews mentioning their palatal appeal. Coast makes them from scratch, and when you order a chicken and cheese patty, rarely one leaves you fulfilled. Cue up one of the many hot sauces that they make available, and you can find yourself in one of the greater delicacies that you can find in Boston for $2. Crispy, moist, and hearty, these patties are unlike any of the others found around Boston or in Jamaica.
As we moved out my house mate purchased a special order of two dozen in the efforts to determine the best way to freeze and reproduce their initial quality and appeal; yes, they're that good.
Coast is a tiny storefront that is about 2/3 kitchen and 1/3 order counter space. There are two stools at a side counter for dining in, but it's really a take-out place. It's a family-run joint that specializes in Soul Food and home style cooking. R&B plays from the radio, there's usually sports on TV, and they provide a stock of food and African-American centric magazines for you to read while you're waiting.
Prices are more than reasonable given the huge portions, ranging from about $7-$9 for plates, that include a meat and two sides. I usually get fried chicken, collard greens, and mac and cheese. their collards are the best I've had this side of the Mason-Dixon line.
This the most delicious and comforting comfort food I've had in a loooong time!!! I had the pork chop dinner with some mac and cheese and black-eyed peas on the side this weekend, and it was lip-smackin', finger-lickin', tummy-pleasin' goodness. I think my absolute favorite thing to order from the Coast Cafe has got to be the beef and cheese empanadas though. HOLY SHIT, I could live off of these for the rest of my life and just be happy forever.
This place is TINY, so definitely do what Annie P. recommends and call ahead to order for pick-up. They have like, two stools to sit and eat at, so don't expect to dine in.
I only hope that one day soon they can expand to a bigger space and become a full-fledged restaurant. They definitely deserve a lot more space and recognition for the food they serve!!!
I want to say lots of good things about this place. My first impression had me a bit startled, and I was thinking I might have to rate Coast Cafe with a 2 or 3 stars. The reason for this is because there was a new person manning the orders/register. So my group of 4 took about 5 "real-life minutes" to order, pay, etc., but she was nice and the other people on staff were very customer-service oriented, so I was put at ease.
I ordered a grilled chicken sandwich (the $6.95 lunch special with seasoned fries) and a side of cornbread. (The sandwich is a single chicken breast with lettuce/tomato/onions/mayo on a white hamburger bun.) The fries were a bit wimpy, but I'm not sure if that's due to the 30 minutes it took for us to actually sit down and eat. I think if I were to order the chicken again I would order the plain sandwich (not the lunch special so without the fries) at $6.25 + tax.
I'm very particular about how I like my meat served, so you'll usually find me picking through any meaty entree to find the fat, gristle, etc. to set on the side. While this can become monotonous at other establishments, I didn't have to pick much from the chicken I ordered at Coast Cafe. This was pretty nice. The chicken had a nice, full bbq flavor and I ended up eating the chicken without most of the bun. It hindered the great taste of the chicken.
I tasted a bite of my friend's sweet potato pie and it was quite spectacular. I haven't had anything like that in a long time, so it was a nice treat. It's very similar to pumpkin pie, but there's a definite sweet potato flavor that kicks in where pumpkin leaves off.
And the cornbread muffin (on the side for .40) could be the main reason I go back.
This is definitely a work-in-progress.
My overall score for this place: "Eh." and a shoulder shrug
I read somewhere recently that this place has the best fried chicken in the city. Hardly. It's edible but certainly not the best.
The sides were far more appealing. Especially the mac and cheese.
And the banana pudding was mediocre.
Disclaimer: As a native southerner, when any place north of Kentucky claims to serve real soul food or southern specialties like fried chicken or barbecue, I am automatically skeptical and may be a harsh judge.
Neighborhood: Uphams Corner
Category: Soul Food
Neighborhood: Mattapan
Category: Soul Food
Neighborhood: Dudley Square
Category: Southern
Somerville, MA
Category: Coffee & Tea
Boston, MA
Category: Southern
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